Name: Christopher Maurice Brown
Birth Date: 05/05/1989
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Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, music video director and actor.
He made his recording debut in late 2005 with Chris Brown at the age of 16. The album featured the hit single "Run It!", which topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Brown the first male artist to have his debut single to top the chart. The album has sold over two million copies in the United States and was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Brown's second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It spawned two successful singles; his second U.S. number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain and "With You", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Brown has released a deluxe version of his album called the The Forever Edition. The first single off of it, "Forever", was released in May 2008 and reached number two on Billboard Hot 100. Exclusive has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
In addition to his solo commercial success, Brown has been featured on several hits such as "No Air", a duet with singer Jordin Sparks, "Shortie like Mine" with the rapper Bow Wow and "Shawty Get Loose" alongside Lil Mama and T-Pain. The songs have peaked on number three, number nine and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. Due to his dance routines, Brown has been compared to renowned R&B artists such as Usher and Michael Jackson, citing both as large influences on his music.
Brown was born and raised in the small town of [[Tappahannock, Virginia]], the son of Joyce Hawkins and Clinton Brown.[{{cite web|title=Chris Brown Biography|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|publisher=[[Time Inc.|Time]]|url=http://www.people.com/people/chris_brown/biography|accessdate=2009-01-12}}][{{cite web|title=Chris Brown Biography|work=[[NME]]|publisher=[[Time Warner]]|url=http://www.nme.com/artists/chris-brown#biography|accessdate=2009-01-12}}] He began dancing at the age of two and began singing in his church choir.[{{cite web|title=Celebrity Bios - Chris Brown|work=[[Us Weekly]]|publisher=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner Media]]|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/chris_brown_profile|accessdate=2008-10-11}}][{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/28/AR2005122801645.html|title=Running With It|last=Freedom du Lac|first=J.|date=2005-12-29|work=[[The Washington Post]]|publisher=[[The Washington Post Company]]|pages=1, 2, 3|accessdate=2009-02-01}}] He was influenced by the soul albums his parents owned. Originally interested in becoming a [[rapping|rapper]], he chose to become a vocalist when his mother noticed his singing voice.
From the ages seven to thirteen, Brown was scarred by the [[domestic violence]] his mother endured from her boyfriend.[{{cite web|date=2007-11-26|title=Chris Brown - Brown Scarred By Abusive Childhood|work=[[Contactmusic.com]]|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/brown%20scarred%20by%20abusive%20childhood_1051294|accessdate=2008-11-05}}] He claims to "hate him to this day".[{{cite web|date=2007-09-10|title=VMA Showstopper Chris Brown Opens Up about His New Album, Past Pain and Looking Ahead in the September 2007 Issue of Giant Magazine|work=[[FindArticles]]|publisher=[[CBS Corporation]]|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2007_Sept_10/ai_n19505347|accessdate=2009-01-12}}]
At the age of thirteen, Brown and his mother began looking for opportunities of a record deal.
===2005-2006: Debut album and world tours===
{{main|Chris Brown (album)}}
[[File:Chris Brown.jpg|thumb|180px|Brown performing at [[KISS 106.1]] [[Seattle]] Jingle Bell Bash 8]]
Brown left school in late 2004 to begin working on his self-titled debut album which was released in November 2005. The album debuted at number two on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] selling over 155,000 copies in first week of sales.[[http://www.newsday.co.tt/features/0,81475.html Chris Brown in town for concert] ''News Day''. Accessed July 8, 2008.] It sold over 2.1 million copies in the United States and over three million copies worldwide.[{{cite web|last=Saldanha|first=Evita|title=Feature: Chris Brown|work=[[MTV India]]|url=http://www.mtvindia.com/music/music.php?id=18719|accessdate=2009-01-12}}] His debut single, "[[Run It!]]", was number one in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. Following "Run It!" "[[Yo (Excuse Me Miss)]]" became Brown's second top 10 hit in the U.S.,[[http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=367&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+R%26amp%3BB%2FHip-Hop+Songs&ci=3064862&cdi=8562780&cid=03%2F18%2F2006 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Yo (Excuse Me Miss)] ''Billboard''. Accessed May 18, 2008.] peaking at number seven, and number 13 in the UK.[[http://acharts.us/song/7190 Chris Brown - Yo (excuse Me Miss) - Music Charts] ''aCharts.'' Accessed May 18, 2008.] It has been certified platinum by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]].
His third single, "[[Gimme That]]", was released in March 2006 which featured [[Lil Wayne]] for a remix, originally not featured on the album, but was later included. The single debuted on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] at number 80 and climbed the charts quickly peaking at number 15. Brown also co-directed his music videos for "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Gimme That."[{{cite web|url=http://iomusic.com/|title="Gimme That" |last=Collis|first=Roland|work=Iomusic News|pages=2|accessdate=2008-11-22}}] His fourth single is the ballad "[[Say Goodbye (Chris Brown song)|Say Goodbye,]]" which is also a part of the ''[[Step Up (soundtrack)|Step Up]]'' soundtrack. On June 13, 2006, Brown released a DVD entitled, ''Chris Brown's Journey,'' which shows footage of him traveling in England and Japan, getting ready for his first visit to the [[Grammy Awards]], behind the scenes of his music videos and bloopers.
On August 17, 2006 to further promote the album, Brown began his major co-headlining tour, ''The Up Close and Personal Tour.'' Due to the tour, production for his next album was pushed back two months. Brown was also the opening act for [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] [[singing|singer]] [[Beyoncé Knowles]] on the Australian leg of her [[The Beyoncé Experience]] tour.
===2007-present: Acting debut, ''Exclusive'' and domestic violence charges===
{{main| Exclusive (album)}}
Brown has made appearances on [[UPN]]'s ''[[One on One (TV series)|One on One]]'' and [[The N]]'s ''Brandon T. Jackson Show'' on its pilot episode.[Brandee J. Tecson (January 7, 2006). [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1519861/20060106/brown__chris__18_.jhtml Chris Brown Switches Over To Acting — And Can't Get A Date] ''MTV.'' Accessed October 27, 2008.][[http://tv.nytimes.com/show/185108/Brandon-T-Jackson-Show/overview Brandon T Jackson Show] ''The New York Times.'' Accessed October 27, 2008.] In addition, Brown landed a small role as a [[band geek]] in the fourth season of [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s ''[[The O.C.]]'' in January 2007.[Jayson Rodriguez (August 31, 2006). [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1539927/20060831/story.jhtml Chris Brown Scores Role On 'The O.C.,' Ready To Be 'Geeked Out All The Way'] ''MTV.'' Accessed October 27, 2008.] Brown then made his film debut in ''[[Stomp the Yard]],'' alongside [[Ne-Yo]], [[Meagan Good]] and [[Columbus Short]] in January 2007.[Larry Carroll (January 3, 2007). [http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1548995/20061228/story.jhtml Ne-Yo, Chris Brown Open Up About Stepping Up For 'Stomp The Yard'] ''MTV''. Accessed October 27, 2008.] Brown next appeared in ''[[This Christmas (film)|This Christmas]]'', a family drama starring [[Regina King]], released on November 21, 2007.[Larry Carroll (February 6, 2007). [http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1551660/20070205/story.jhtml 'Christmas' Keeps On Giving — Join Chris Brown On Holiday Flick's Set] ''MTV''. Accessed October 27, 2008.] On July 9, 2007, Brown was featured in an episode of [[MTV]]'s ''[[My Super Sweet 16]]'' (for the event, it was retitled: ''Chris Brown: My Super 18'') celebrating his eighteenth birthday in New York City.[[http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/sweet_16/episode/episode.jhtml?episodeId=120190#bio My Super Sweet 16 - Chris Brown - Episode Summary] ''MTV''. Accessed October 27, 2008.] Brown also guest-starred on [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]'s ''[[The Suite Life of Zack & Cody]]'' as himself.[[http://entertainment.glam.com/articles/tvghotlist/the_suite_life_of_zack_cody/ The Suite Life of Zack & Cody] ''Glam Media.'' Accessed October 27, 2008.] Brown is expected to star in the basketball [[drama film]] ''Phenom''.[{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1555168/20070320/story.jhtml|title=Movie File: Chris Brown, 'Ocean's Thirteen,' Michelle Trachtenberg & More|last=Adler|first=Shawn|coauthors=Carroll, Larry|date=2007-03-21|work=[[MTV]]|accessdate=2009-01-26}}]
Shortly after ending his summer tour with [[Ne-Yo]], Brown quickly began production for his second studio album, ''[[Exclusive (Chris Brown album)|Exclusive,]]'' which was released in November 2007. The album debuted at number four on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], selling 294,000 copies in its first week.[{{cite web|last=Hasty|first=Katie|date=2007-11-14|title=Jay-Z Leapfrogs Eagles, Britney For No. 1 Debut|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|publisher=[[Nielsen Company|Nielsen Business Media]]|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003672227|accessdate=2009-01-12}}] It has sold 1.9 million copies in the United States.[{{cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Gail|date=2008-12-12|title=Chris Brown Pairs With Rihanna, McGraw|work=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/chris-brown-pairs-with-rihanna-mcgraw-1003922298.story|accessdate=2009-01-12}}]
[[File:Chris Brown singing at Brisbane Entertainment Centre cropped.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Brown performing at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre]]
According to [[MTV]] News, Brown stated: "I am still going to keep it so my younger fans can continue to listen to my music, but I got a couple of joints on there that's for some of the older people." The album's first single, "[[Wall to Wall (song)|Wall to Wall,]]" debuted on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] at number 96, and peaked at number 79 and number 22 on the Billboard R&B and Hip-Hop Chart becoming his lowest charting song to date.
"[[Kiss Kiss (Chris Brown song)|Kiss Kiss]]", featuring and produced by [[T-Pain]], was released as the second single. "[[Kiss Kiss (Chris Brown song)|Kiss Kiss,]]" became more successful surpassing the success of "[[Wall to Wall (song)|Wall To Wall,]]" reaching number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 to become Chris' second number one single and his highest chart peak since "Run It!" in 2005.
On December 4, 2007, Brown released the third single from "Exclusive," entitled "[[With You (Chris Brown song)|With You]]", a song produced by Stargate. "With You" reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and had entered the charts in various countries around the world, becoming one of Brown's most successful released to date, entering the top ten in New Zealand, [[Singapore]], Canada, the United States, [[Cyprus]], Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, [[Malaysia]], and Australia.
Brown re-released ''Exclusive'' on June 3, 2008 as a deluxe edition, renamed ''[[Exclusive (album)|Exclusive: The Forever Edition,]]'' seven months after the release of the original version. The re-released version featured four new tracks, including the single "[[Forever (Chris Brown song)|Forever]]" which reached number two on ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
In support of the album, Brown embarked on his ''The Exclusive Holiday'' concert tour, visiting over thirty venues in United States. He started the tour in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], on December 6, 2007 and concluded it on February 9, 2008 in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]]. The documented footage was released on June 3, 2008 as the double disc of ''[[Exclusive (album)|Exclusive: The Forever Edition]]''. He performed "With You" at the [[BET Awards#The BET Awards '08|BET Awards '08]] in June 2008. He was then joined by [[Ciara]] to dance with him to a snippet of the song "[[Take You Down]]".
Brown, alongside [[The Game (rapper)|The Game]], is featured on [[Nas]]' [[Untitled Nas album|untitled album]] on "Make the World Go Round," co-produced by the The Game and [[Cool & Dre]].[[http://media.hurricane-game.net/play.php?vid=263 Game explains Chris Brown appearance on Nas album]] He is also featured alongside Sean Garrett for Ludacris' single "[[What Them Girls Like]]" off Ludacris's album ''[[Theater of the Mind]]''. He was also featured on [[T-Pain]]'s third single "[[Freeze (T-Pain song)|Freeze]]" off T-Pain's new album ''[[Thr33 Ringz]]''. Brown was named the top artist of 2008 by ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine.[{{cite web|title=Top Artists - Billboard Year in Music 2008|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|publisher=[[Nielsen Company|Nielsen Business Media]]|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/yearend/2008/charts/top-artists.shtml|accessdate=2008-12-12}}][{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/artist-of-the-year-chris-brown-1003925612.story|title=Artist Of The Year: Chris Brown|last=Mitchell|first=Gail|date=2008-12-30|work=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc|accessdate=2009-01-09}}] Brown released his single "[[Take You Down]]" in January 2009 in the UK and Ireland.
Brown turned himself in to the [[Los Angeles Police Department]]'s Wilshire station on February 8, 2009 and was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats,[{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b99069_chris_brown_arrested_after_alleged.html|title=Chris Brown Arrested After Alleged Rihanna Assault|last=Errico|first=Marcus|date=2009-02-08|work=[[E! Online (Los Angeles)|E! Online]]|publisher=[[E! Online]]|accessdate=2009-02-08}}] while under investigation for [[domestic violence]] charges, following an argument with fellow singer and girlfriend [[Rihanna]] in Los Angeles's [[Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California|Hancock Park]]. The police report did not name the female in the incident as is policy, but stated that the female had "suffered visible injuries."[{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/09/chris.brown/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCText|title=Sources: Brown's alleged victim was girlfriend Rihanna}}]However, various news media such as the Los Angeles Times, CNN, and MSNBC said that sources had identified the alleged victim as Rihanna.[http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/09/chris.brown/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCText][http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/02/chris-brown-boo.html][http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29088387/] The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that he is being represented by defense attorney [[Mark Geragos]],[{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/02/rb-singer-chris.html|title=R&B singer Chris Brown booked on suspicion of making felony criminal threats|date=2009-02-08|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|publisher=[[Tribune Company]]|accessdate=2009-02-08}}] and according to Fox News, Brown has hired public relations spin doctor Michael Sitrick to counter the wave of bad press that Brown has received.[http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0682939/]. Following his arrest, several of his commercial ads were suspended, his music was withdrawn from multiple radio stations, and he withdrew from public appearances, including one at the [[51st Grammy Awards|2009 Grammy Awards]], where he was replaced by [[Justin Timberlake]] and [[Al Green]].[{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/02/08/2009-02-08_chris_brown_sought_by_police_in_battery_.html|title=Chris Brown sought by police in battery investigation|last=Schreffler|first=Laura|coauthors=Yaniv, Oren|date=2009-02-08|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|publisher=[[Mortimer Zuckerman]]|accessdate=2009-02-08}}][{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b99243_chris_brown_bounces_nba_all-star.html|title=Chris Brown Lowdown: Cops Continue Probe, Wrigley Halts Ads|last=Grossberg|first=Josh |coauthors=Errico, Marcus|date=2009-02-09|work=E! Online|publisher=E! Online|accessdate=2009-02-09}}][{{cite web|url=http://www.entertainmentwise.com/new/47079/chris-brown-got-milk-ad-dropped-as-radio-station-bans-his-records|title=Chris Brown 'Got Milk' Ad Dropped As Radio Station Bans His Records}}][{{cite web|url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/02/chris-brown-and.html|title=Chris Brown and Rihanna: More fallout]
Sources: Wikipedia.biography »
